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Ask the Experts: The overseas adviser

I own a 45ft narrow boat which is moored in London, but I have not lived on it for more than a year. I am Irish and living in Ireland, but considering buying a piece of land — just a field — in Spain and moving the boat over. A friend has just bought a house near Reus on the east coast and I was hoping to buy close to him. I believe Spanish law means that you never own your own land and instead lease it. Is there any way around this? Also, would I need planning permission?

ML, by e-mail

You are entitled to purchase a plot of land in Spain as a freehold and own it outright, in the same way that a Spanish person could come to Ireland and buy land. Many British and Irish people who own villas in Spain have purchased the land first and built